The Wolf and the Phoenix
by blue-eyed-lupus-12
Summary: Ginny "bumps" into a young girl she has never seen before on the train to Hogwarts. This chance meeting has a major affect on Ginny and thus she sets out to find out more about this mysterous girl and just how close she wants to get. femmeslash
1. That's NOT my Shoulder!

**That is NOT my shoulder!**

**A/N: I decided to write this as a form of therapy and I kind of liked it so I thought I would try posting it. This is from Ginny's POV just for clarity's sake. Syd is an OC so yeah…anyway reviews are appreciated almost as much as reads!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter obviously. If I did then Hermione and Ginny would be together, Luna and Cho would be a couple, and Harry and Ron would be snogging each other senseless. Alas this is not true so thus we have to content ourselves with the boring old hetro ships.**

"See you mum, dad!" I cry over my shoulder as I rush to catch the soon departing train. The Hogwarts Express is already bellowing out steam, screeching the final whistle, which translates to 'you have five seconds or we're leaving your late ass behind'.

_Damn them. You'd think the way they carry on that I'd never done this before. It's my fourth year for Merlin's sake!_ Exasperated, I just manage to lug my overstuffed trunk (_Why'd I agree to let mum pack for me_) onto the car before the engine begins moving. Safely in transit upon the annual train to my magical education, I allow myself a moment's rest slumped against a closed compartment door. _What would I have done if their fussing HAD made me miss the train? Would mum and dad have had to drop me off at school like some muggle child on her first day of preschool?_ I shudder visibly at the thought of the taunting from Fred and George that would have warranted. _They'd never let me hear the end of it…then again maybe I could have stolen the old Ford Anglia like Ron and Harry did second year. Now THAT would have been an entrance. I certainly wouldn't be a twit like my idiotic brother and crash the thing into a giant extremely aggressive tree. Only Ron would get beaten up by a plant!_

Howling in laughter at the memory, I fail to notice the compartment door behind me suddenly whip open. I lose my balance as all the weight I had settled on the door propelled me backwards into the now empty space behind me. Flailing in a vain attempt to remain erect, I end up falling and landing on something….soft. _Well if I don't have the most perfect luck! Fell right onto a giant pillow. Wonder what its doing here? Ah well all I know is that its soooft!_

I snuggle my face a bit into the plush pillow only to hear a loud cough to my left. I open my eyes and turn my face in the direction to see a blue-eyed gangly pipsqueak I've never seen before looking at me with a mixture of reprimand and amusement. It is at this exact moment that I realize that the pillow beneath me is kind of springy…and warm. My growing sense of foreboding is confirmed as I look above my head at meet uncomfortable gaze of the girl upon whose chest I am resting. _Fuck fuck FUCK!_

I lay frozen in pure mortification until the same little snot-rag who had coughed before taunted, "If you are quite done sexually assaulting that girl, would you mind kindly getting off her?"

Now really embarrassed, I frantically try to stand as my face begins to match my flaming hair. Unfortunately, I had managed to tip my trunk over onto the girl's and my entangled legs rendering myself unable to stand no matter now hard I flail. I try flipping around to push the trunk off myself, yet its enormous bulk is too much for me while I'm trapped in such an awkward position.

"Need help pervy?" inquires the snotrag none too innocently. I glare at the insolent brat, wishing every kind of painful mortifying death upon him. _I swear if I had my wand I might just even go so far as to use the Crutiatus curse on this little prick!_ My sudden disgust that I could think such a malicious thing forces my anger to subside a bit. After all I did fall on his friend, I would probably be an ass too if someone fell on Hermione like that. _Hell, I'd beat the shit out of them, screw talking_. I lie back down to signal surrender and watch as the snot-rag walk smirking over to my toppled trunk. He managed to lug the heavy trunk off both of us and just barely tip it back onto the push cart.

"And here I thought perverts were light packers since they often have to make a quick getaway. Bring your own entertainment or something?" smirked the prick, his ice-blue eyes dancing with laughter at his own bad joke. _On second thought….now what was the wrist movement for that curse…"_ This lovely train of thought was interrupted by a soft confident voice right behind me.

"Now Damien, I'm sure you don't mean that. After all it does take one to know one and to be honest you haven't got the chops to even pose as a perv. Now apologize to the nice girl." Startled by the voice, I turn to discover the girl I had accidentally mistaken for a pillow grinning easily toward me and dusting herself off. She stares, amused, at the snot-rag (_So his name's Damien…fitting_) who now looks quite put out. "Awe come on, you're being too easy on her. I mean she did jump you and proceed to bury her face in your…well...um...you know…"

Determined to clear this whole thing up I hurriedly explain "I didn't mean to swear! I was just leaning up against the compartment door to catch my breath when the door burst open! I lost my balance and I just sort of fell. I am so sorry I fell on top of you and I totally didn't mean to fall in such an…um…awkward place"

"You sure seemed comfortable enough once you got there though…" scoffed Damien. "I though she was a pillow…" I assert feebly. A round of loud insane laughter erupts above my lowered eyes. I lift them to see the girl now laughing so hard she is clutching her sides, tears streaming down her face.

"A pillow!" She gasps between laughing fits, "Well I guess I should be flattered. It a nice compliment after all despite the circumstances." I only become a deeper shade of red. I am past the intensity of my own hair and am taking a run at putting fire trucks, even emergency beacons to shame. I simply stand there with Damien glaring at me until the girl begins to regain some control of herself. Finally she stops shaking and wipes the tears from her eyes, turning to look at me.

"Sorry about that. I have an overly inflated sense of humor. But I guess since we've already gotten to know each other so closely, the only proper thing to do now is to introduce ourselves. The name's Sydney Thomas."

"Ginny Weasley" I said quickly as I loosely grasp her out stretched hand, looking her directly in the eye for the first time since this whole nightmare began. And for the third time that day I freeze. My heart actually stops beating, because the eyes I am looking into are a clear firm sea green ringed in a blue as deep as the ocean. Because the hair that falls playfully into those eyes is a sun streaked chestnut that is cropped short, sticking up artfully in back and ending in long sloping bangs. Because that hair frames a face whose high cheekbones and angular features, from strong pointed chin to the gently sloping nose to the perfectly white square teeth, make her seem almost inhuman. In short, I am staring into the face of an angel, a goddess even. I stand there dumfounded as I can only imagine what kinds of emotion race across my face. Whatever expression I wear must be frightful, because suddenly those sea glass eyes cloud over with concern.

"Hey I was only joking. Don't worry, I know it was an accident." soothed Sydney, her hands now gently rubbing my own.

"Huh what." I awake from my daze jarringly and laugh feebly. "Oh, no problem. I knew that…so anyway I better get going. I have to meet up with some people and get settled in." Sydney appears unconvinced, but just sighs and smiles brightly.

"Yeah, sure. Go ahead. And seriously don't worry about it. I can honestly say I've never meet a person in such an…interesting way before." She smirks as I back quickly out of the compartment and grasp the handle of the trolley. Damien continues to glare at me. Just as I was about to sprint off and retain what little dignity I had left, Sydney come to the door and grasps my arm as I turn. I freeze at the touch and incline my head slightly back towards her.

"It truly was nice to meet you Ginny," she insists shyly but firmly, squeezing my arm for emphasis.

"Yeah, you too Sydney." I assent shakily trying very hard not to collapse as my body turns to jelly. Sydney flashes a crooked smile as she removes her hand, my skins stinging a bit at the lose of contact.

"Call me Syd!" she insists and then quietly closes the door. I stood there for a minute or two staring at the silent compartment door.

"Syd…." I whisper quietly to myself. _Shit…_

**Phew..wrote that in like an hour. Oh and for your information the whole falling on someone awkward situation thing actually happened to me. My friend has yet to let me live it down…**


	2. Darwinian Evolution

**A/N: Now for Ginny to meet back up with the gang….**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter obviously. If I did then Hermione and Ginny would be together, Luna and Cho would be a couple, and Harry and Ron would be snogging each other senseless. Alas this is not true so thus we have to content ourselves with the boring old hetro ships.**

Somehow I manage to make it to the compartment near the back of the train within which I am supposed to meet Harry and the rest. This is truly an accomplishment considering that I had been too preoccupied going over my encounter with her to pay much attention to where my feet were taking me. _Alright time to snap out of it. Can't let them see me like this or else they'll know something's up and I REALLY don't want to have to endure an interrogation right now. I'm not entirely sure I wouldn't let something slip._ Mentally slapping myself, and then physically slapping myself for good measure (which by the way scared a few passing third years), I slowly slide back the glass door and step into the compartment.

"Um guys…what the HELL happened here?" I had just walked into what I could only interpret as a gooey green bog. Nasty looking green crap was splattered across the walls, windows, seat, and what I could only guess was five people.

"Neville felt it was absolutely necessary to show us the fascinating defense mechanism of his new plant had developed. Thus we are now dripping in thousands of years of Darwinian survival evolution," deadpanned the human sized blob that encased the wizarding world's natural born savior.

"Who's Darwin?" questioned a tall gangly blob to my left. Obviously my brother.

"He was a 15th century scientist who studied various species of plants and animals and concluded that all life evolved from more ancient species as a way of adapting to their environment. He was the originator of the concept of survival of the fittest." I smirked as the blob to the right of Ron recited a complex spell and suddenly blew away the muck to reveal my genius best friend. Hermione Granger…always the know-it-all.

"He also was the man to first discover the Crumple Horned Snorflax. He was never able to reveal that part of his finding though since the Ministry viewed his discovery as a breach in the statute of secrecy. They wiped his memory and stole the research in the name of the protection of the entire wizarding world. They still have the file in the Department of Mysteries." The room went silent at Looney Luna's latest "scientific" tidbit of knowledge. At that I just started laughing. _I can't believe I was worried about them noticing that something's wrong with __me__. Compared to them I'm damn near normal._

"Um ok. Thanks for the history lesson. Now that that's done think we can get this bloody shit OFF me!"

"Oh Ronald calm down and watch your language or else I will scourgify your mouth and clean it out instead of your clothes."

"Yes, maam," asserted Ron grudgingly. I swear whenever those two do finally act on their intense feelings for each other, Ron will be the most hen-pecked boyfriend ever. Kind of makes me feel sorry for him…almost. I waited patiently as Hermione walked around the room with her wand out stretched, siphoning the slime off first Harry, then Luna, and finally Ron. I sat down on an already cleaned off seat as she made her way around the room clearing the rest off the gunk off the compartment interior. Harry glanced up me quickly as I collapsed, seemingly still fuming. _Damn he's so moody these days. I swear I get it that the whole wizarding world thinks he's a mentally disturbed, that he had to spend nearly the entire summer with relatives that would prefer him dead, that he almost was expelled from school for defending his cousin and himself from a fate worse then death_._ But still the dude seriously needs to lighten up. _I smiled a bit at this, which seemed to tick him off more.

"So where were you all this time, huh? You get jumped or something? I giggled nervously at that._ Not that far off. It was actually the other way around…_

"Don't listen to him," assured Hermione over her shoulder, "he's just mad because just before you entered Cho came in and saw him looking like the swamp thing." _Oh well that makes sense then. I actually kind of would have liked to have seen the look on her face._

"It's OK. I actually did meet this girl on my way down here. She seemed to be at least my age, but I can't remember having ever seen her at school before."

"Oh? What does she look like?"

"Um..." _She's painfully beautiful with the most graceful figure I've ever seen. _"She's a bit shorter then Harry…" _Her eyes make me feel as if I am diving into a warm ocean._ "Her eyes are kinda green…" _Her hair reminds me of fresh molasses and looks so soft that all I want to do is run my fingers through it_. "Her hair is light brown and sort of short." Hermione gazed out the window for a moment in deep thought.

"Well doesn't really ring a bell for anyone specific. What was her name?" _Syd…_

"Sydney Thomas."

"Hmm... nope. Harry? Ron? Neville? Luna?" Each one shook their head in turn. I frowned a little. _That's weird. There's no way she was younger than me, but still between all of us you'd think one of us would have seen or met her. I was really hoping I would get another chance to apologize for my behavior earlier. _That's the reason I told myself for the staggering sense of grief that I felt at this news. I knew the truth though. _I need to see her again._

Sunk deep within my funk I glance up distractedly. Luna is staring at me. I meet her steady unblinking gaze with my own confusingly unnerved one. We maintain this silent stare down until finally Luna looks away from me and back down at the latest copy of the Quibbler…smirking. _WTF! Luna doesn't smirk! She had no comprehension of irony or sarcasm, is debilitating literal, and in no way malicious or secretive. Why would she smirk? Then again she is unnaturally observant and has the annoying habit of realizing exactly..what…your….thinking….. _I suddenly realized that perhaps my secret obsession was no longer quite so secret. _Shit…_

**Dum..dum..DUM….LUNA!!!**


	3. Snapped

**Snapped!**

**A/N: Ok so sorry for the EXTREME delay between the last chapter and this one. I haven't felt much like writing. My friends finally bugged me to death for this so here you go!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter obviously. If I did then Hermione and Ginny would be together, Luna and Cho would be a couple, and Harry and Ron would be snogging each other senseless. Alas this is not true so thus we have to content ourselves with the boring old hetro ships.**

I sat rooted to my seat by the ice-cold fear that washes through my body as I stare at Luna. _Surely she doesn't know. I mean how could she? True she is freakishly intuitive and overtly insightful but come on! I met the girl 15 MINUTES AGO! I don't even know what the hell I'm feeling. How can Luna have seen past my lame indifference, guessed what I really thought and deemed the truth smirk-worthy all in the space of a minute! GAHHH! _Frustration overtakes me as I clench my fists at the cosmic unfairness of it all. I can feel my face beginning to flush as I try to hold back the intense need to throttle someone, preferably a ice blonde-haired someone whose smirk widens at the glanced sight of internal cosmos cursing. Of course now is the moment that my imbecilic big brother chooses to become in tune to my moods.

"Hey what's got your knickers all in a bunch Ginny? You're eyeing Luna like you plan to practice your Bat Bogey skills on her," Ron inquires loudly proving once again that he possesses the sensitivity of Azkaban Dementor. _Probably the same amount of kissing skill with the same effect as well. Hey maybe if we force fed Malfoy Polyjuice Potion Ron could end __that__ problem for us. _Buoyed by that happy thought I turn upon my troll of a brother.

"You twit I was just trying to read the headlines of the latest Quibbler. See if there are anymore leads on Stubby Boardman or any other known 'Black aliases'," I spat at him, surprising myself with convincing excuse, and began smacking him rather hard about his arms and chest, partially to accentuate my point and partially to work off the leftover frustration and bit of fear I suddenly felt. After all he hadn't been that far off. _God since when did everyone become so damn intuitive. Is there some kind of augmented insight side effect to that Mimbulus muck?_

"Get off you crazy witch. It just looked more like you were trying to burn a hole through that paper than read it!" Ron cries as he frantically tries to fend off my relentless attack. His comment only serves to madden me more as I jump over the armrest and begin to practically claw at him.

"GINNY! Chill out you're really going to hurt him!" Harry dives across the compartment at me, slipping on a bit leftover green gunk and ending up head over heels in my vacated seat. Ron is seriously freaked out by this point and is trying to ward me off with punches of his own to my flailing arms. A odd humming is sounding in my ears, droning out the terrified whimpers of my brother whose face I am currently tenderizing. I am suddenly beyond thought or feeling, consumed by such intense rage that the sight of blood springing from my brothers slashed arms only maddens me more, like a bull at the sight of a matador's red cape. I am now crouched on top of him, pummeling and scratching and disfiguring every square inch of him I can reach. I can feel bones beginning to give way beneath my assault.

"FOR MERLINS SAKE GINNY! PETRIFICUS TOTALUS!" I feel myself being rocketed backward off Ron by the force of Hermione's screeched spell as my legs snap together and my arms are forced to my sides. My entire backside erupts in pain, as I slam upside down flat into the window of the compartment, so hard I'm surprised it didn't crack the window pain. I am helpless to catch myself as my stiff as a board body rebounds from the impact, throwing me with a good deal of force onto the floor into my face. I roll a bit, but end up face down on the gritty mucky carpet, eyes tearing up from the pain in my back and my surely broken nose. Through the pounding in my concussed head I can hear Harry and Hermione tending to a moaning Ron.

"Bloody hormonal females. Gonna be the death of me!" he croaks out before falling silent. I know from the rapidly forming bruises on my knuckles and the wet feeling on my fingers that he is bleeding and badly bruised from the encounter. I lay in silence on the floor (not that I have much of a choice since my jaw is magically clamped shut) trying to figure out what the hell had just come over me. _One minute I am ruminating on the possible implications of Luna knowing my secret and the next I'm clawing at my own brother like Professor Lupin on a full moon. True Ron is a git and he had managed to strike a serious nerve in the worst possible way, but that still doesn't explain my sudden desire for his blood._ Visibly shaken by this I barely notice as Neville cautiously crawls over to where I lay, mutters the counter spell and helps me onto the seat next to him. Tears of shame replace the pained ones as Neville hands me a handkerchief to stem the blood dripping from my nose. _Looks like Hermione really did break it. Not that I deserved any less._

Through my tears I spare a glance at Luna huddled in corner. She is still sitting there, looking completely innocent, seemingly engrossed in a fascinating article. The calm display almost causes me to lose it again but another groan from Ron quickly silences the urge. I curl up in a ball on the seat and weep openly in disgust with myself. _What have I done? What the hell is wrong with me? I mean I've always been short tempered but this is ridiculous. I've rarely been so quick to explode and never seriously violent before! Why…_ Over the sounds of my sobs I can hear Harry and Hermione whispering. _They must be discussing what to do about Ron. I wonder if he'll need to see Madam Pomfrey. That will take some explaining. I mean I know fighting is not permitted at Hogwarts and I know I've injured Ron pretty bad. What are they going to do with me? Shit…_

**Well that was…darker. Sorry if that freaked anyone out. To tell you the truth I don't know why Ginny reacted like that either. I guess we shall see what happens to her.. **


	4. Unexplainable

**Unexplainable**

**A/N: Well I couldn't just leave Ginny in that moral predicament so I decided to go ahead and write the next part. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter obviously. If I did then Hermione and Ginny would be together, Luna and Cho would be a couple, and Harry and Ron would be snogging each other senseless. Alas this is not true so thus we have to content ourselves with the boring old hetro ships.**

We all sit in silence for the remainder of the train ride, each group on their respective side of the train. Well silence except for Ron's continued moans. The fact that he seems to still be in pain sends a fresh bought of fearful shivers through my limbs. After all Hermione had already taken care of him as best she could. And Hermione knew some pretty advanced medicinal spells. _For example I know for a fact Hermione could easily fix my broken nose with a wave of her wand. Not that I'm about to ask her to do that. Not after what I did. I deserve to sit here in pain, tasting my own nose blood. Ok wow that was a disgusting thought even for me. But I have already soaked Neville's handkerchief through and I'm not about to ask any of them for another one. Nor am I about to break the bubble of inaction that we are currently residing in to go get a towel just in case any motion from me could result in a fresh bought of retaliation from them._

Hermione was currently clutching an ice-laden bag to Ron's lower jaw, which was taking on a purplish tint. His eyes were both swollen closed and little white things that could be his teeth littered the floor. More ice bags lay taped to his arms and chest, covering more purpling skin and several pieces of bloody gauze. One thick pad of it dangerously near his heart appeared to need changing as blood seeped through the already soaked surface. Ron's face itself bore several long scratches that still trickled a bit of blood that Harry was wiping away with tissues. All this, the bags, ice, tape, tissues, and gauze had been conjured by Hermione. _Yes lets not anger the powerful witch anymore shall we._ Pain fills my eyes as I take in the sight of my badly injured brother being tended by my best friend and the boy I have had a crush on since before first year. _You'd think I would be used to scenes like this. After all that we've been through. _I draw a shuddering breath as I face the realty. _No this isn't the same as all those times. It's worse because this is all my fault._ _I did this._ Hanging my head I let myself bob and sway with the rhythm of the train running smoothly toward its destination and the consequences for my actions. _I wonder what they'll do to me. Not just Harry and Hermione, but the teachers. I attacked another student and seriously injured them. And lets not even think about what Mom and Dad will have to say about this_. I shudder at the thought.

Too soon I felt the gentle slowing down and squeaking of brakes that heralded our fast approach of Hogsmeade. None of us have put on our robes yet, having been thoroughly distracted. Now there is no time. _Great now we'll really stick out. Like having two bleeding bleeding Weasleys wasn't conspicuous enough. Might as well put a neon sign over our heads saying "Trouble Here". _I chuckle bitterly at the thought. This appeares to wake Hermione up out of her reverie.

"And what might I ask is so god damn funny Genevra Weasley," Hermione poses with an icy calm. "Do you generally laugh when you maim your own flesh and blood for NO REASON!" I could see she was fast losing her cool along with her own reason, and was about to start in with the groveling and begging when Harry steps in.

"Don't Hermione. Just….don't. I'm sure Ginny feels horrible about…whatever just happened." Harry sounded tired and almost in pain himself as he said this. It had the desired effect though. Hermione snapped her mouth shut and resumed looking down at Ron, though fire still smoldered in her eyes.

Taking this as my cue to begin the groveling I blurted, "Yes, Yes! Of course I do! I feel horrible!" I burst into tears again. I spoke thickly though, trying to sound as repentant as possible.

"I feel absolutely atrocious. I don't know what the hell got into me. Actually I can only say that hell or some demon or something got into me and possessed me. I can't believe myself! What I did! I don't even know how I was capable of that!" By this point I am out of my seat on my knees in front of Ron's prone form, snotting myself and blubbering as I clutch wildly towards him in an attempt to make him believe me, to make him understand. It is becoming harder and harder to get the words out as emotion overtakes me. "You are..my..BROTHER! I…could….NEVER…hurt…YOU! At this point I simply collapse onto the floor in repentant self-loathing tears.

"But you did…" I immediately cease in my sobbing when I hear the pain behind my brother's hoarsely whispered words. "You did Gin. I know I can be a twat sometimes and treat you like a bother but I would never hurt you. I would kill anyone who would dare hurt you. But you hurt ME…why Gin? I know I was getting on your case but bloody hell why?" Stunned by his raw emotional speech, I can do little but sit and stare at him open-mouthed while the tears dry on my face. I am beyond tears now. I struggle to find my voice, at last only managing to come up with a squeak that is about as satisfying as the only answer I have to offer him.

"I don't know. I just don't know. I can't explain what came over me. I just became so ANGRY….I don't even remember attacking you…it was intense…it was like I watching it from afar…like I couldn't even control my body…" At my words, Harry's head perked back up. He fixed me with soul penetrating stare and he had a spark of something unidentifiable in his eye.

"What did you just say?" he asked still fixing me with that same intense stare.

"Which part?" I whispered daring to hope he had an answer.

"What was the very last thing you said?" he asked in the same tone. By now Hermione was staring at him, apparently not yet catching onto his brain blast. But Ron was still looking at me, the depth of betrayal in his eyes taking my memory and speech away. It was like I had been thrown into a deep icy well, his disappointment and shattered trust drowning me, pulling me under.

"Ginny!" Harry whispered urgently putting a hand on my trembling shoulder and pulling me out of my consuming guilt. "You need to answer me. It could be very important." I shifted my gaze to Harry's field green eyes that were still fixed intently on my own. _So different from Sydney's_. The thought was a subconscious one, floating through my head without my bidding and gone as suddenly as it came. But it was enough to reawaken my mind to the task at hand.

"I said that it was as if I couldn't even control my body." I stated firmly, never letting my eyes leave his own for fear I would slip off into the cavernous guilt.

"I see…" sighed Harry, ruffling his hair and making it even messier than its normal rat's nest. I could tell from the growing spark in his eye that he had an idea, an explanation. _This might not be my fault! _The thought of vindication filled me with such a flood of relief and hope that tears of joy were streaming down my face in seconds as a huge smile spread across my face unbidden.

"WELL I SURE AS HELL DON'T SEE! AND WHY IS THAT BITCH SMIRKING! GET THAT DAMN SMILE OF YOUR FACE YOU BLOOD TRAITOR!" screeches Hermione as she flies into a passionate rage. On her last few words she strikes me across the face, leaving a few claw marks of her own. The angry words and the vicious hatred dripping from them wounds me more then the slap and leaves much deeper marks. I can only stare at her in shock and fear as her chest heaves with pure rage and she reels back her hand for another strike. I make no move to stop her. Even if Harry has discovered a reason for my violent outburst on my own kin, I still did harm him. I still maimed the man she loves even if neither of them will admit it. I can understand her pain and rage. I will accept any punishment she dolls out.

Harry tightly grasps Hermione by the wrist before she can let loose the next round. "WILL YOU CALM THE FUCK DOWN AND HEAR ME OUT HERMIONE! YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO BE THE REASONABLE ONE FOR MERLIN'S SAKE!" Harry appears rattled by Hermione's anger and actually seems to be having a hard time maintaining control of her wrist. "Please Hermione, surely you don't want to believe Ginny could do this either. Let me at least give you an alternate explanation then the fact that Ginny beat her brother to within an inch of his life simply because he pissed her off!" His words hung in the air, seemingly acting as a balm to Hermione's anger. Her breathing slows down and her wrist hangs limp in Harry's hand. Her anger collapses into grief as she wraps her arm around Ron's bandaged chest, being careful not to hurt him as she clutches him sobbing.

Harry watches the display through misty eyes as he released Hermione's hand and turns to look back at me. Harry's eyes hold the same haunted tortured look they did after he returned from the graveyard having watched Cedric die and Voldemort rise. He has to clear his throat a few times before he can continue.

"I don't believe this is Ginny's fault. Not entirely at least. It is possible that dark forces are at work here." Neville who has been quiet through this entire ordeal finally speaks up, questioning, "What do you mean 'dark forces' Harry? Who would want Ron injured?" I swallow nervously at the question. _I think I already know what Harry is getting at. Please let me be wrong!_

"We mustn't forget that Voldemort IS back despite what the Profit and the Ministry says. I believe Ginny was put under the influence of the Imperius. It's possible that the caster had wanted her to attack Ron in order to handicap or send a message to me. I also believe that had you not stopped her Hermione, she would have killed Ron…" Harry's solemn speech was met by absolute silence. His words hung in the air like a silver dagger waiting pierce our hearts with the fearful possibility it implied. _It is possible that Voldemort can reach us even within the protection of Dumbledore. We are not safe. It is possible we have a spy in our midst._

_Shit…_

**Double gulp. Well hope that at least soothes any angry outcries at Ginny's violent nature. Guess I'll have to write the next chapter soon…**


	5. The Rule of 3

**The Rule of 3**

**A/N: Well let's see if we can't lighten it up a bit after so much angst eh?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter obviously. If I did then Hermione and Ginny would be together, Luna and Cho would be a couple, and Harry and Ron would be snogging each other senseless. Alas this is not true so thus we have to content ourselves with the boring old hetro ships.**

As if to accentuate the gravity of our realization, the Hogwarts Express chose that exact moment to come to a complete, screeching, and sudden stop. The jar caused by our loss of momentum throws Neville out of his seat and onto Hermione, pushing her back onto Ron's prone form, eliciting a howl of pain as the body weight of two people came to rest upon his injured chest. As for me, well my kneeling position near Harry who was sitting in standard guy fashion (aka legs spread apart at a wide angle) despite the intense matter we had just been discussing causes my head to land in a rather…compromising position. _Actually make that extremely compromising. Facial proximity to his crotch is suddenly far to close. Far FAR __FAR__ too close! And I landed with all my damn limbs tangled together so I'm stuck! _Harry himself is suddenly rendered unable to remedy the situation by the rather…sensitive area that my hard head has just slammed into. _Actually I would say he has been rendered unable to do much more then cry, groan, and clutch himself for at least a good ten minutes_. Hermione, Neville and Ron are currently having their own problems as Hermione and Neville are tangled together and Ron is helplessly trapped and in pain, unable to do much more then groan along with his wounded best friend. Of course it at this moment that Malfoy chooses to make an appearance.

"What's all this racket then. Granger, Weasley I was sent to fetch you. Prefects are supposed to help herd all the brats and half-wits off the train. Make sure they get in the boats. Hope they drown the pathetic little wastes of space. Barely worthy of shining my shoes the lot of them. Why if my father…" It is at this point that Malfoy pauses in his self-absorbed rant and takes in the comical and at first glance mildly pornographic scene before him. Malfoy blinks a few times, apparently trying to decipher if the sight before him is in fact real then his face splits into a wide-grin like a kid who had just been led into Honeydukes (at least that is how his face was described to me later, my own range of vision having *ahem* gone down).

"Well look what we have here. I'd say there has been a fair bit of 'extracurricular activities' going on in this compartment and school hasn't even started yet." I could hear the mirth positively oozing from his voice as he took in our respective entanglements. Apparently he decided to begin with the lovely Nermon pairing. "Hmm I see we have a nice Mudblood sandwich on two moldy pieces of wizard white trash (both Ron and Neville still had a little Mimbulus muck on them). I should have known you would come out on the bottom in that pileup Weasley, since you're the bottom rung on an already subterranean ladder. At least Longbottom comes from good stock even if its has gone battier than baseball dugout." He snickers at his own bad joke then turns upon my struggling form. I could almost hear his face crack with the smile that now curled up it at the sight of Harry and I. "Well well well Potter has managed to get himself a little action, though from the look on your face the Weasel women still have not learn they mustn't use their teeth in such sensitive places. You'd think the mother would teach her daughter to avoid the mistakes that led to the defects her brood bears. Well that's what you get when won't even spring for the good stuff when compensating for what you can't have for free."

Somehow Harry manages to groan out through his understandable pain, "Yeah you'd know all about compensating wouldn't ya Malfoy!" _You have to hand it to the guy. He doesn't let the little things get in the way of what's important, getting the last word in over his mortal enemy._

"Excuse me Potter! I'll have you know that I have women lining up throwing themselves at me, BEGGING ME give them a little time with Draco Jr.! Why I…" Once again Draco cuts himself short in pompous rant, this time realizing too late that he had reveal too much, far FAR too much! As a fine blush begins to creep onto his face he decides to beat a hasty retreat, salvaging what dignity and intimidation he has by slamming the compartment door closed hard enough to shatter the glass. We all listen to him in silence as he and Draco Jr. sprint down the hall in search of first years to torment. A beat passes and then suddenly we all burst out laughing. Well Hermione, Neville, and I do. Harry and Ron just continue to groan in pain though their anguish does seem to at least now carry a happy tone.

"Draco Jr.!?!" burst out Hermione, very near tears of mirth. This send the rest of us into renewed giggle, though my own rumblings were doing nothing to ease Harry situation as my head rammed continuously into the same spot in my glee. At this point, we are visited by the second worst possible person to see us in this position, Cho Chang.

"Harry I came to see if everything was alright. I was walking by and I thought I heard raised voices and groans. Is somebody…in..jur..ed…" Cho stared wide-eyed at the scene before her, which had become if anything sketchier looking then when Malfoy had appeared. Both Ron and Harry were by now in so much pain they were sweating and the bought of mirth had mussed Hermione's and my hair, ruffling our clothes and pulling them up a bit. To make matters worse Neville had been about to try to lift himself up off Hermione, resulting in his hands currently clutching Hermione very near her chest area. Unfortunately, Cho's eyes appear to mainly be riveted on Harry's and my seemingly occupied forms.

"Ch-ch-cho! It's…n-not..what-t it…l-l-looks like!" Harry struggles to get out some kind of explanation through his manly pain. For my part I try to turn my head but find that my hair has become tangle in Harry's zipper. The result is that my head makes a jerking motion that looks very much like something much less innocent and the jarring of that area elicits another gasp of pain from Harry of something a lot more pleasant. Cho simply claps her hand over her mouth and sprint of down the corridor without so much as a goodbye.

"Well that was just unlucky, eh Harry," inquires Neville stating the extremely obvious into the deadpan room. Harry musters his best glare that he can as he continues to whimper and mutter in embarrassment and pain.

"Alright now can you lot get bloody off me before Snape comes and gives us all detention for lewd behavior!" snaps Ron at the still collapsed Hermione and Neville.

"Of yeah of course, sorry mate!" sputters Neville as he hastily finishes shoving himself off Hermione. Finally freed from beneath Neville's considerable bulk, Hermione disengages herself from Ron and sits back on the seat at the opposite end of the car. Ron groans and rubs his now profusely bleeding chest, shedding the remains of his shirt that is now soaked with bloods, melted ice and sweat. He lies back on the seat heaving and spread out like some wounded war veteran.

"Um hey a little help here guys. I'm kind of stuck and I'm pretty sure the future of Harry's unborn children is getting dimmer every time I move my head," I implore loudly, my voice muffled a bit by the seat and Harry's legs.

"Then don't move. Stay right where you are, Ginny! I've had enough stimulation for one day. Let Neville help you get off." As Harry practically moans those words against the pain, I hear three things at the same time, the squeak of the carpet as Neville starts towards me, a maniacal giggle from somewhere to my left, and a soft surprised gasp of disbelief from that same direction. _But the only thing to my left is the corridor. There shouldn't be any sound from there unless…_ Suddenly dread fills me as it hits me what the source of those sounds just might be. _Well Mum always did say bad luck comes in threes._ I sigh, resigning myself to what I'm sure I will see once Neville disconnect Harry and me. Nobody else in the car seems to have heard the extraneous noises, Ron too wrapped up in recovering, Hermione too wrapped up in Ron, and Harry too wrapped up in his dwindling genetic fitness. After several second of fiddling Neville manages to disengage Harry and I, allowing me to stand (though I had to allow a bit of my hair to remain lodged in Harry's zipper. There was no way Neville's hands were going anywhere that zipper). I take a deep breath to center myself then turn to face the shattered compartment door.

"Oh please do not stop your sexcapades on our account, dear Ginny," drawled a now familiarly mocking voice laced with barely concealed mirth.

"Hello Damien," came my surprisingly steady reply, "Sydney…" _Shit…_

**Well well well! Caught in the act as they say! Whatever shall she do!**


	6. Fire and Ice

**Fire and Ice**

**A/N: Hmm how shall Ginny get herself out of this one hmm?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter obviously. If I did then Hermione and Ginny would be together, Luna and Cho would be a couple, and Harry and Ron would be snogging each other senseless. Alas this is not true so thus we have to content ourselves with the boring old hetro ships.**

At the sound of Damien's quip my four friends had jerked their heads in the direction of the corridor so fast I could have sworn I heard their necks crick. I could hear Harry beginning to growl on my behalf, Ron attempting to leap to a fighting stance despite his injuries, and Hermione reaching for her wand to blast a choice curse at the little prick that dared insult my honor. At my own words though I heard small gasps as they recognized the name I had asked them about not 3 hours ago. _It really is amazing how much has happened in such a short time._ I could feel their eyes drilling into the back of my skull, searching for some explanation, both as to why the rat seemed so familiar with me and for the expression on Sydney's face. _Actually I would like to hear the reason behind that one too. At first I thought she was just shocked at the inherent sexual appearance of the scene. I mean if I came upon a compartment that had a guy currently being serviced by a girl I had just met, in not too impressive circumstances to begin with I might add, I would be pretty damn shocked. But there is something more than shock on her face though. She looks almost…hurt, like I had betrayed her trust or something. _I squirm a bit under Sydney's openly accusing gaze. She had yet to say a word, not even responding to my greeting. Damien on the other hand…

"Why hello pervy! So we meet again! See Syd I told you she had an ulterior motive. Her quick run with you didn't work out so she's on to the next compartment, scoping out takers. Looks like she hit the jackpot with this crew." His eyes scan across the compartment as he explains this delightedly, taking in Ron's naked upper body and Hermione's ruffled state. His eyes examine Harry with particular relish. Though Harry was finally regaining his composure and his breathing was slowing, he still looked extremely shaken and sweaty.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this john Harry Potter?" inquires Damien, leering as he jerks his chin in Harry's direction. He was obviously enjoying himself far more than even Malfoy did. _He really is a satanic little son-of-a-bitch_. Harry seems to be so filled with intense rage and embarrassment that it is taking every ounce of his self-control to not clock the pipsqueak cold. I can see blood trickle from where his nails are piercing the flesh of his clenched fist as he grunts out his assent. Damien burst out laughing at the display. _His laugh is so different from Sydney's. While her's is pure and fills the air with warms and light, his sounds almost malicious and vile. It sends tendrils of ice down my spine just to hear it._

"Wow, that's quite the letdown then. I would think a **big bad** wizard like you could get the most gorgeous women in the world to wait on you hand and foot. A man who has faced Voldemort so many times and lived shouldn't have to resort to getting a blowjob from a two-bit tram…" Before he could even finish his sentence, several things began to happen at once. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville all grab for their wands at the same time, brandishing them with the obvious intent to curse his demonic ass back to his namesake. Before a single word could be spoken by any of them though Sydney sucker-punches Damien in his vile mouth so hard his feet actually leave the ground as he goes soaring through the air, bouncing violently off the walls and floor like a pinball before crashing head first into the door at the end of the car, 8 feet away. The smack and tinkle as his head hits and cracks the glass resounds throughout the car. The entire car then falls dead silent. My four would be defenders stare in awe at Sydney while I gaze at her still outstretched fist, raised parallel in front of her, the end position of a wicked left hook. Her face is turned toward the ground, her long auburn bangs hiding it from my curious eyes. Slowly she brings back her lethal fist, straightening up and cradling it to her chest, brushing her fingers over the now forming bruise on her fist. Watching the motion sends a jolt of pain across my own injured knuckles and causes my vision to blur slightly. I continue gazing at her hidden face with clouded eyes as she begins to stir, walking forward towards her seemingly unconscious "friend". We all walk as one to the door of our compartment and observe her progress as she come up on him and reached her uninjured hand down towards his crumpled body. She flips him over and grabs a wad of his shirtfront in her extended hand, pulling him up to her with one hand as she straightens back to a standing position. His whole body flops about like a ragdoll, his head lolling backward as if boneless. She pauses for a moment as if considering his unconscious form. Suddenly her empty hand cocks back again and this time slaps him roughly across the face, most likely striking her punch's point of impact.

"YOUCH! BLOODY HELL SYDNEY! WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO THAT FOR! YOU ALREADY DISLOCATED MY DAMN JAW!" Damien screeches shrilly, now fully awake and thrashing about in her firm unyielding grip. I could feel the chill of her icy stare from my place shoved between Hermione and Ron who are both frozen and baffled as to what to do.

"I had to wake you up somehow, brother," she stated in a tone as frosty as her look. "As for the blow…what have we discussed about being rude. I will not tolerate your crude speech nor will I allow you to slander or insult my fellows. Especially a…friend. I thought I had made myself perfectly clear. It appeared you needed a reminder, thus I gave it to you." If anything Sydney's tone becomes colder as her reprimand wears on. _It's as if her anger simply burns colder the more it grows rather then hotter. If that's true I'm not entirely sure we're finished seeing violence done to this guy. I almost feel sorry for the rat..almost. _Apparently Damien too realizes just how much danger he is in because I glimpse him bowing his head and gripping his hands together as if in supplication.

"I am sorry sister. I forgot myself. Please forgive me. You know I am weak and often get carried away in my lust for sport. I offer myself to you to deal with as you wish," stated Damien in a voice as calm and even as her own. _I can hear the shake in it though. He can't fool me; he's terrified of her. What does that mean? And what the hell is up with the 'brother' 'sister' crap? Surely they can't be related…can they? _Without another word Sydney drops him onto the floor unceremoniously. As she turns away I can tell she is struggling to gain control of her emotions as her fists hang clenched and shaking at her side.

"You have done your duty brother. You have delivered me safely to Hogwarts. The only casualty of my transport is you. I'm sure the forces the hold together and protect these walls can handle me from here. Leave me now and return home with the good news. I'm sure you'll find some way to explain away your wounds. You always do." She closes her eyes and chuckles coldly at her last words, sending a chill down my spine. _So different from bright laughter earlier._ Damien pushes himself slowly up off the floor, keeping his head lowered and turned toward the floor the whole time. Crouched forward in an almost half-bow he inches forward down the corridor toward Sydney till he stand in front of her.

"Alright as you wish. See you later then Sydney!" smirks Damien as he whips out his wand and turns as if to walk away. At sound of his goodbye though Sydney's eyes whip open revealing a bright blue flame burning within them, like a miraculous fire glowing beneath the ocean. Her hands strike out like a cobra and grab the retreating figure whipping him around and grasping him firmly around the neck.

"Speak my name again brother and it shall be the last word upon your tongue as I rip it from your leering mouth. Savvy?" The cold fury had returned to her voice and her hands tightened on his throat till his eyes bugged out a bit. Yet somehow he managed to squeak a respectful "Yes maam!" through his restricted cords. Slowly Sydney releases the pressure on his windpipe, shoving him away coughing and hacking like a diseased leper. Without another word Damien twirls on his heel and apparates into thin air. Several minutes pass as we all just stare at the empty space where he had been.

Suddenly our trance is broken by Ron fainting beside me. Immediately, we descend upon his crumpled body. He is covered in a cold sweat and the blood is gushing from the over soiled bandages. All the excitement seems to have made his condition even worse. His breathing is now coming in shallow shuddering gasps and the little color in his pale skin is long gone. _Shit…_

**Well seems there is more to our little Sydney then meet the eye…**


	7. Half Truths

**Half-Truths**

**A/N: Ok I really am going to get them off the train this time! Promise!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter obviously. If I did then Hermione and Ginny would be together, Luna and Cho would be a couple, and Harry and Ron would be snogging each other senseless. Alas this is not true so thus we have to content ourselves with the boring old hetro ships**

"Ron…RON! Wake up! Hey man you're scaring me!" shouts the boy who lived as he smacks his best friend across the face trying to get him to open his eyes. Hermione is bawling again while I just sit there, ashen face staring at my possibly dying brother. _This is my fault. What did I do? Even if I didn't mean to…even if I was tricked into this…he is still dying from wounds my hands made!_

"Please Ron don't die on me. I can't live with the guilt," I whisper in my brother's ear, beseeching him to listen and come back to us.

"He isn't going to die," states a calm even voice from the corner of the compartment. For a moment I think it is Sydney speaking, having somehow squeezed past us. Then I realize that the speaker is Luna. _I had completely forgotten she was even here. What has she been doing during all this mess?_

"What do you mean? How the hell do you know that? And by the way WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN? Have you just been sitting there watching our trials and tribulations for the past hours? Why didn't you help us when we all got stuck together when the train jerked? Why didn't you say anything when we were putting Ginny on trial right in front of you? Better yet WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU STOP GINNY IN THE FIRST PLACE WHEN SHE ATTACKED RON? YOU WERE SITTING RIGHT NEXT TO HER!" bellows Harry as he completely loses his temper for the fifth time that day much less that month. His anger doesn't even phase Luna as she continues to sit there placidly, a dreamy smile across her face. Slowly she rises gracefully from her seat and comes to kneel next to Ron's head.

"I know he is alive because his pulse is still strong, he is still reactive to the pain, and his breathing is not shallow yet. Also we are going to get him out of here and to Madam Pomfrey before his condition worsens. And as for the rest of your question…those will have to wait till another time. Right now Ron takes precedent. Now lets pick him up. Harry you take his upper back, Hermione you take his lower back, Ginny take his head, and Neville get his feet. I'll guide y'all out of here," breezed Luna with a slight harshness now adding edge to her dreamy tone. We all looked at her stunned by her certainty and sudden boldness, unmoving.

"FOR MERLINS GET THE LEAD OUT!" yells Luna sternly, now seemingly exasperated at our lack of action. Hurriedly, we take up our positions along Ron and on Luna's count lift him up off the floor. As we walk as one out the compartment and down the hall I dimly register the fact that Sydney had vanished during the commotion. _Well this whole thing just keeps getting weirder and weirder. First she goes all Xena on what I thought was her BFF, however poorly chosen, then she has this cryptic conversation with him and sends him running off into the night, and now she herself has run off without so much as a 'see ya later alligator'! Honestly the nerve of some people! _

"Ok I'm going to go ahead and warn them that we're coming, ok? See y'all in a bit," shouted Luna over her shoulder as she ran up the lamp lit gravel path that led away from the train and toward the glowing silhouette of Hogwarts Castle. As the cold August air strikes Ron's exposed upper body, he begins to stir in our cradled arms the chill seeming to reawaken him to consciousness.

"Oy ouch. What happened? Why am I floating? Am I dead or something? Am I some white robed poof of an angel?" groans my idiotic big brother as his brain slowly adjusts to his changed surroundings. I roll my eyes at his usual fantastical and extreme conclusions.

"No you balmy twit you're still very much alive. You think we'd let you go that easily? I still need to beat your ass at wizards' chess," I joke lightly with him, trying to take his and my mind off the pain I'm sure is flooding back through him at the moment.

"Never gonna happen Gin. I'm the master! Don't you remember, I was the one who got Harry past that giant chessboard first year," Ron grinned proudly at the memory of his great triumph in the fight for good. _Yes Ronny…its not like you ever let us forget it! Went on about it for months didn't you? And you still bring it up every whenever company's around. _Despite my annoyance I still smile fondly at him though. _He really has been though a lot all these years beside Harry. And with Voldemort coming back its only going to get worse for the three of them. Hell it's about to get damn worse for the rest of us. We've only experienced a brush of the danger they face every year. I wish I could be of more help…course not maiming one of them might me a hell of a good start… _As if on cue, we reached the top of the hill and a small throng of nervous and agitated teachers milling about or crowded around a Luna, who appeared to calmly be explaining the situation to them. At the appearance of our little human stretcher, the crowd immediately came rushing over to us. Professor McGonagall, looking extremely perturbed and angered by grand and tardy appearance, reached us first along with Madam Pomfrey. _Thank god!_

"Dear lord! Mr. Weasley what happened to you? Your face is a mess and these scratches reach almost down do the bone! And these bruises, well even with the best bruising crèmes these will take days to fade," exclaims Madam Pomfrey thoroughly shocked and outraged to see her student in such a state. While the others help her set him gently on the ground to begin examining them, I try to process what she just said. _Oh my god! 'To the bone' 'a mess' 'take days to fade'! She's right what have I done. How the hell will he ever forgive me for this? And even if he can…how can I forgive myself. _I am suddenly shaken out of my reverie by the flooding in of the rest of the on-site teachers, Professors Sprout, Flitwick, and Snape (_why does Snape always show up at the scenes of disaster and bad tidings), _as well as Luna, looking red-cheeked and extremely flustered but confident.

"M-M-Miss Weasley explain yourself! What in heavens name happened! How did your brother end up in this dire state?" huffs Professor McGonagall by now worked up to the point she resembles a puffed up tabby. _What do I do? What do I do? We have no proof of foul play against me and it all points to a malicious fratricidal attack by me! I'm going to Azkaban for this! Mum is going to be SO pissed!_

"I believe I already explained the situation to you Professor," states Luna calmly, suddenly appearing at my side gripping my hand in a show of support. "Ginny had a minor tiff with her brother over some crude insensitive words he said to her. She responded with screeches and a few too well place punches to his face and chest while he responded with bellowing and general flailing and stomping about. The resulting chaos spooked Hermione's cat Crookshanks, who jumped upon Ron and began clawing at him in fear, trying to use him as a ladder to get away. His swatting at him and his eventual leap into the luggage rack above his head caused luggage within to become unbalanced and to fall upon Ron. You must remember that some of that luggage is quite heavy with some very blunt edges. Also I don't think Crookshanks has ever has a nail trim in his life and therefore has inordinately sharp nails. Plus he is quite big himself ma'am," lists Luna matter of factly, spouting the extravagant lie as if she were reciting the Declaration of Independence. We all just stand there stunned and gapping at her. _Oh..my..God! The girl is a fucking genius. A complete and utter evil genius. I mean I know she is in Ravenclaw but still, to come up with a tale like that out of thin air. And I think it covers everything. My part was minor in the whole thing! "The cat and the luggage" did the major damage. In the eyes of anyone who wasn't in that compartment at least I am not to blame! I'm free!_ Right as that happy thought crosses my mind, down swoops Snape like the bat he is.

"While that clever little tale may indeed account for Mr. Weasley's injuries, I believe we are all interested in the chain of events that led to Miss Weasley appearing before us awash in her own blood, and bearing quite a few bruises of her own," inquires Snape sweetly inclining his head towards me and inviting me to answer. _What the hell is he talking about? What injuries? _I am about to ask just what the hell he means when apparently the adrenaline high I had been running on since Harry's epiphany finally runs out. I can suddenly feel my throbbing knuckles and back, the stinging perfect imprint of Hermione's hand across my face, and most poignantly the intense pain that shoots through my sinuses at the severe damage to my nose. _Owww! Oh…THOSE injuries!_

"Well you see professor.." begins Luna, ready to provided yet another reasonable explanation.

"I think you have explained quite enough Miss Lovegood. Perhaps you can allow Miss Weasley to enlighten us as to her own experience," states Snape forcefully, cutting Luna off before she can rescue me. He turns back to look at me waiting.

"Well you see sir.." I gulp visibly as I search for some satisfactory answer. _Crap what a fine time for my imagination to crap out on me. Well Luna already provided me with some good stuff, let's use that. _"You see sir, I obviously got these bruises on my fist from my fight with Ron. I'm afraid I hit him rather hard and bruised him and me both. As for my nose, well it's just my luck that a makeup bag fell past Ron, at me and stuck it. We women do tend to go a bit overboard when packing makeup, so the bag was rather heavy." I finish smiling, proud of myself for coming up with such a great fib off the top of my head.

"And the quite clear handprint across your cheek, young lady? How pray tell did you come by that?" pushes Snape with a sneer. Now I'm extremely caught off guard and completely clueless as to how to explain that one.

"That would be a personal matter I'd rather not discuss, sir," I stall hoping to get out of answering.

"After seeing the state of your brother, I think it's fairly safe to say that a FULL account of tonight's event are in order. INCLUDING personal matters!" snaps Snape clearly not about to be put off by a little thing like privacy. _Crap what do I do. I can't tell them it was done by an angry Hermione since that would involve telling them why she was so angry which would involve taking the blame for ALL of Ron's injuries. Shit shit how to get out of this one. Wait a minute…who says Hermione can't be mad at me because I attacked someone she cared about. It just doesn't have to be Ron that I attacked._

"Well you see sir, once Crookshanks began making string cheese out of my brother, I began trying to beat him off of him. It only served to anger the cat more I think and when it finally did reach the luggage rack it knocked that makeup bag right into my face. Needless to say I was less then thrilled with him and told Hermione that she would be better off selling him for glue. She did not take kindly to that and therefore slapped me. Happy sir?" I speak directly at Snape, letting as much venom as possible fill my voice without risking more trouble for myself then I am already in.

"Deliriously Miss Weasley. Now that we have the full story..TEN POINTS FROM GRIFFENDOOR for fighting on school property…for each Weasley as well as Miss Granger," sneered Snape, delighting in his favorite past time of deducting points from his rival house. _Wh-wha-WHAT! HE CAN'T BE SERIOUS!_

"I say Severus, you can't be serious! I am fairly certain that both parties have learned their lessonhere and dolled out enough punishment on each other to make sure that it is not soon forgotten. Be reasonable!" pleads Professor McGonagall outraged. _That's certainly right. I doubt I will have any desire to do so much as give a noogie after this episode is over. Fists are almost as dangerous as wands._

"Be that as it may Minerva..I feel we need make an example of them for the rest of the school to assure that such madness does not happen again." Though he sounds so very noble and reasonable I can still hear joy in Snape's voice.

"Very well..come children the feast has most likely already begun. Let's get you up to the castle," sighs McGonagall, defaulting to her firm matronly persona and ushering us up the hillside like little chicks.

"Professor, what about Ron? What is going to happen to him?" questions Neville nervously.

Sighing once again McGonagall simply states, "He is badly injured. He will most likely have to spend the night at the hospital wing. He should be good as new by tomorrow. Though I don't doubt that his absence and you all's thus far will cause quite a stir tonight as well as the many stories that are sure to surround it." I simply place my head in my hands as I walk, imagining the third degree I am about to get from Fred and George. _Ironic considering I was imagining their reaction to me having to walk in late earlier. Shit…_

**I FINALLY GOT THEM OFF THAT DAMN TRAIN! Hehe now the GOOD part starts! *****grins wickedly***


	8. Grand Entrance

**Now where were we…OH YES, making Ginny squirm *****evil grin*******

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter obviously. If I did then Hermione and Ginny would be a couple, and Harry and Ron would be snogging each other senseless and Luna and Neville would be finding condolence in each other ;) . Alas this is not true so thus we have to content ourselves with the what ifs…**

Walking up the familiar path to the glowing shadow of Hogwarts flanked on either side by Snape and Professor McGonagall, I feel like I'm headed toward the hangman's noose. _Well actually since I'm a witch I guess the more appropriate form of execution would burning at the stake. Yes must be politically correct when contemplating ones own death penalty. Dead man...eh women walking. I wonder if I get a last request of a final cigarette or something. Not that I smoke but I mean I like the symbolism of it. Then again if I'm going to die anyway…I mean I think in that case the giant flamey inferno is going to kill me before the cancer ever could…. hehe flamey inferno. _This odd and rather morbidly humorous train of thought is rudely interrupted by the loud thump and clang as the enormous front doors of Hogwarts close behind our little party. _Why do I suddenly feel that I have literally entered a fate worse then death?_

"Well Mrs. Weasley, it would appear that the time has come for you to make your grand entrance. I'm sure you will rivet the entire hall with your harrowing tale of crazed cats and plummeting luggage. And I can assure you, you will have their full attention" Snape hissed joyfully, positively simpering (not a pretty sight I assure you) at the awkward and possibly socially suicidal situation I have put myself in. Then without further ado he flings open the door to the Great Hall and thrusts me in with such force that I stumble and nearly fall flat on my face. I lift my face and meet the piercing gaze of hundreds of pairs of eyes all looking questioningly at me. _Oh…that's why…_ Right as I'm beginning to panic, I hear cursing Hermione and Harry are thrown in after me. Luna of course strolls in regally as if she walks into a roomful of baffled stares everyday. _Actually now that I think about it she probably does. I mean she is quite odd and everyone including me calls her Looney. I'm sure this is par for the course to her._ I feel a twinge of pity for her and more than a little respect when she glides in front of me towards the House tables and into a vacant seat with her fellow Ravenclaws. Her brave procession draws attention from our still fear-struck forms, allowing Harry, Hermione and I to use the diversion to slink into our own spaces at the Gryffindor table. We find seats adjacent to Luna's, hoping to regroup and debrief about all we had just seen on the train with her following the meal. In the meantime we collectively decided to try and concentrate on eating and fending off the barrage of questions we were immediately bombarded with.

"Where the 'ell of you guys been? We were startin' to worry about ya" inserted Seamus almost immediately. I choose to ignore him for the moment while I survey tonight's feast offerings. We apparently had missed most of it, arriving at the tail end of the main course. I picked some meat off the suckling pig and pile my plate with veggies and other side items, still studiously ignoring the persistent inquires of my housemates.

"I heard there was a scuffle on the train and you guys were at the heart of it. Course that's just one of the many theories that were floating around" alluded Dean excitedly over his forgotten Wellington.

"Yeah, one 6th year said he saw the whole lot of you Apparate right out of the compartment. Another bloke swore you all were stuck in there by some weird greenish snottish rubbish" chimed in Angela, the raised eyebrow showing just how much stock she put in those stories.

"Hell even Malfoy's putting forth his two cents. I heard him saying y'all were…um well" Neville's began to stutter as his the nature of his divulgence began to make him uncomfortable. _Oh that CAN'T be good._

As if on the same wavelength Harry asked urgently, "What has Malfoy been saying? Please we need to know. We have to be able to arm ourselves against whatever slanderous bile he's spitting off about us" One look from Harry though told me he shared my same sense of foreboding that for once Malfoy might actually be telling the truth.

"Well you see…he was saying…implying…that you guys were…and I'm quoting this…'too busy running your own porn show to worry about little things like getting to school on time'…" At this final admission Neville turned bright pink and Harry illicited a groan. Hermione and I stare at each other in horror, our worst fear having been realized. _Oh I am NEVER going to live this down. Even if most people won't believe the little guttersnipe, his cronies will certainly revel in the tale, aiding him as he uses this to torture us till the day we die…which actually since Voldemort has risen again could be very soon. Hey a girl can hope!_

Finally Hermione, always the level head sighs, conceding "Later, we will deal with him and all the other rumors later. Its not like we're novices to vicious gossip. We have the truth on our side." _Yeah it would help if that __truth__ wasn't just as awkward and potentially rep crushing as the gossip. I mean really who is going to believe that my head just HAPPENED to slam into Harry's crotch then get stuck there...for several minutes…. we're screwed._

"Well despite all you've heard, nothing of any particular interest went on in our compartment. We were simply waylaid by a few tiffs and a series of unfortunate events. Let's just eat our dinner and leave it at that." I let out a relieved sigh as the rest of the table resumes their attack on the food-laden table, seemingly satisfied by Hermione's explanation.

"Hey where's Ron?" inquires George glancing about like he expects his brother to pop up behind him and yell 'Surprise!'

"Yeah it's not like him to miss a meal, especially a feast! Boys got a bigger stomach then most giants" chimes in Fred, as always following on the heels of his twin with his own wit and humor. I groan internally. _Here it comes. Damn I thought we were out of the woods too!_

"Lets just say that series of events was especially unfortunate for Ron…" Harry's candid yet vague response earned more then a few raised eyebrows from the assembled table. Thankfully though they once again appeared to let it go, though now they turned and muttered to themselves, sharing theories of their own.

_Oh crap I am REALLY never going to hear the end of this! Shit…_

**Ok so not a long update but I'll try to write more soon. Im a bit pressed for time right now…**


	9. Encounters

**Sorry for the delay. College=time consuming!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter obviously. If I did then Hermione and Ginny would be a couple, and Harry and Ron would be snogging each other senseless and Luna and Neville would be finding condolence in each other ;) . Alas this is not true so thus we have to content ourselves with the what ifs…**

Thankfully we did not have to suffer the curious banter for long. We truly had come in at the tail end of the meal, the desserts appearing suddenly upon the table not five minutes after we grabbed our food. I barely touch my food as I contemplate just what I'm going to say when I finally do have to answer all the mounting questions about our strange disappearance. _And once word gets out about Ron stay in the hospital wing there is sure to be an Inquisition. I doubt our little story is going to fool my friends as easily as it fooled the teachers. Actually I'm not entirely sure it fooled the teachers…_ I sigh at the grand mess I have managed to get myself into and watch secretly thankful as the tables are magically cleared, thousands of dishes sent back to the kitchens to be scrubbed clean again by the school's happy troop of house elves. _Hmm now that I think about it maybe Hermione has a point. It does seem a bit unfair to make them both cook AND clean up after all of us night after night. Hell most students don't even know about them and all they do for us. They see the food in front of them and the clean common rooms and just figure it for more of the schools special brand of magic. Though I do wonder what they do with all that food after the meals. Do they throw it away? Store it in giant Tupperware containers? Send it to starving kids in Africa? Oh god mum's lectures are actually starting to sink in! _

"Another feast has ended, a tasty beginning to another sumptuous year. Now off to bed with all of you before your full stomachs make your bench your beds" quips Dumbledore brightly sending us off to our respective dormitories. I happily cut off my internal monologue and focus on rising from my seat and entering the rapid flow of sleepy students hustling to get into a comfy bed after a long day. I whip my legs over and around the bench so I sit poised, ready to shoot off as soon as I see an opening. I turn my head and notice that Harry, Hermione, and Neville have already disappeared into the sea of burgundy and gold that is thronging towards the tower that houses Gryffindor. _Crap I still need to talk to them. We need to get our stories straight before classes start tomorrow. And I need to check to make sure Hermione isn't still royally pissed at me for beating up her non-boyfriend. I really don't feel like waking up tomorrow with a raging case of boils, or transfigured into a dung beetle, or transported to Albania, or…. *gulp* now that I think about she could probably do almost anything to me…if I made her mad enough…which I'm pretty sure I did judging by her actions on the train…I mean she did slap me and probably would have done more if Harry hadn't stopped her…._

"HERMIONE!" I shout at the top of my lung, my voice shaking a bit at the thought of an angry and armed Hermione finishing what she started. I leap up from the bench, rocketing myself into the now nearly empty aisle. Unfortunately my trajectory takes me right into the path of a lone student. My shoulder slams into her, knocking the taller girl back onto the bench behind her, the force of the sudden stop causing her head to whip back and smack the table with a dull thud. I myself also lose my footing and fall on top of my victim, right in her lap. A bit dazed by the sudden change of perspective, it takes me a minute to register the low groaning coming from the now injured student.

"Oh my god I am SO sorry! I was just in a rush and I was trying to get out of here fast, and I didn't see you and…ARE YOU OK?" I babbled quickly and incoherently, feeling absolutely horrible that I have squished this complete stranger. _I swear what is it with me today! I mean I know grace isn't exactly my middle name.... though that would be a nice name…better than Molly at least…but anyway I mean seriously SERIOUSLY! A girl can only take so much. Is some cosmic joke being played on me? I mean what more could fucking happen!_

"We REALLY need to stop meeting like this. Ouch! I swear Ginny, a few encounters and I'll be touring Hogwarts in a wheelchair. Hmm wonder if Hogwarts is handicapped accessible?" states Sydney rubbing a rapidly swelling bump on the back of her head. My jaw literally drops at the sight of her. _ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?! WHAT THE FUCK! DOES THE UNIVERSE REALLY HATE ME THIS FUCKING MUCH?! GAAHHHHH!_ Tears of anger and embarrassment start streaming down my face as I continue to curse me rotten luck. _Aren't the Irish supposed to be LUCKY! I mean red hair, pale ass freckly skin, short temper, I think I qualify! Hell I'm even short! I'm surprised they let me buy Lucky Charms!_ I let the hot tears run the length of my cheeks and fall like pounding rain from my chin, not bothering to wipe them with my now shaking hands. As I am overwhelmed by the sheer emotional rollercoaster I have been on today on top of this I sob like a child right there in her lap. Suddenly, I feel soft fingers begin brushing at my cheeks, attempting to wipe them away with gentle strokes. The other hand comes up onto my heaving back and beings rubbing in slow circles, steady and comforting. Her larger hand feels warm even through the thick fabric of my robe, the heat penetrating through to my skin and sets it tingling. The pads of her fingers scrape a bit on my face, covered over with calluses of an unknown origin, yet I still relish the odd sensation their tracks leave behind. I close my eyes at the touches and concentrate on the motions, on the feeling of her trying to consol me.

"Shh…it's ok. You're all right…" she intones quietly, allowing me to focus on her steady voice to center and calm myself. The low tones of it vibrate and resound within me, thrumming like a plucked bass string through my chest and down to my core. I can immediately feel my muscles begin to unclench as the hypnotic sound flows into them and massage them. The tears cease to fall and gradually my sobs slow then subside. I take a long ragged breath, unclenching my throat and refilling my lungs. I let it out slowly, releasing the last of my anger and fear in a heavy sigh of despair.

"Thanks" I assert simply without looking at her, unable to make eye contact after such an extreme display of emotion. I am still reeling from the feel of the her hands upon me, the one still making steady circles on my back, the other now resting supportively on my shoulder. She says nothing for several minutes, quietly contemplating the back of my lowered head as if frozen in deep thought. Suddenly her hand ceases its circuit and she removes both it and the other one from me, leaning back and using them to prop her up on the table behind her.

"No problem" Syd assures softly but firmly, her sea glass eyes resting upon a point directly over my shoulder but seeming to be focused on something miles away. I stare transfixed for a moment at her intensely thoughtful face, taking in the wrinkled brow and flat worried set of her mouth. Her earthen bangs now lay draped across her face, obscuring one eye and shielding some of her emotion from my analyzing gaze. I force myself to tear my own eyes from that face and gently slide from her lap and straighten up beside her still seated form. The change seems to shake her out of her reverie because I watch as her eyes refocus and she too pushes herself up to stand beside me. It is not till now that I realize that Syd is at least half a foot taller than me, my head falling almost level with her chest. _Perfect fit..._ My eyes widen at that unbidden thought, showing my surprise at the both the suddenness and the intense satisfaction I felt at it. Trying to cover up the feelings that were sure to be written on my face, I duck my head and let my long auburn hair shield me.

"Well we should probably get going to our dorms, right?" I ask softly, trying to hide the pain I felt at even suggesting parting with her.

"Yeah I guess we should…" I am surprised to hear what sounds like a hint of regret in her voice when she says the words. I glance up at Syd and reach out my hand like a dork to initiate a handshake in farewell. Syd glances down at my offered hand and cracks a radiant smile before gently clasping it with her own and firmly shaking it.

"Farewell Ms. Weasley" she says in a stuffy monotone, the playful light dancing in her eyes giving away her amusement.

"And farewell to you, Ms. Thomas" I return in an equally stuffy voice though I am unable to completely suppress the humor within it. As we both let go and I turn to head off towards Gryffindor, I feel her hand once again wrap around my arm above the elbow, stopping my progress. I turn back to face her, my eyes questioning. I gaze into her eyes, my bright toffee meeting her clear sea foam, trying to derive her reasoning. Suddenly without a word, her face begins to move towards mine. My breath catches within my throat as I watch helpless but fascinated as her perfect lips come near to mine. Nearer, nearer…until they come to rest by my ear.

"It truly was nice to meet you Ginny," she whispers softly, her warm breath ticking my ear. Then she pulls back, a coy smile on her face, turns and walks away. I stand there for several more minutes, frozen in place gazing at the space where her lips had been moments before. Then my legs at last give out, having turned to jelly the moment we locked eyes. As I lay on the floor, I contemplate this interesting ending to a very odd day. I can't help but giggle a bit in happiness at the whole encounter, though I have no idea what it all means. _Girls are far too complicated. _I shake my head and sigh softly at my plight. _Shit…_

**Ah at last an encounter *****wink wink*! Whatever will little Ginny do now? Made this one longer since I might not be able to write for a while.**


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